Do or Die (Jackal Squad Oneshots)
by Sunset-Peril
Summary: Infinite has gained a reputation for being cold, cruel and heartless. However, he is not as cold-hearted as his reputation proclaims. He cares deeply for his Jackal Squad, especially the mercenary he loves, Amara. He is completely different with her, caring for her even in their dangerous lifestyle. Events, Characters, Context can be found in Episode Jackal, these are extra stories
1. Cold, But Not Stone-Hearted

Author's Notes: These stories are random, and all belong to the _Episode Jackal_ storyline, between the couple of chapters I have there, there should be enough context to enjoy these stories. I am already working on more there, so if you don't like these one-shots yet, you may like them later.

Infinite heard a grunt, then heard something hit the ground hard.

The sound came from behind him, he turned cautiously, seeing forest all around him.

"What is it, Boss?" Remy asked, Infinite quickly held up a finger to signal silence.

He walked closer, a figure appeared on the ground.

Remy, Hunter, and Quickstrike followed him, wondering what the figure could be.

Infinite gasped when he saw the identity of the figure on the ground: his fiancee, Amara.

She had strained breathing, with teeth clenched, blood spilling from a dagger wound in her stomach.

Infinite bent down, Quickstrike gasped.

Hunter, who was often competing with Amara for second-in-command, looked surprised.

"Who did this to you?" Infinite held Amara's paw.

"One of the targets got a jump on me, Boss." She tried to get up, Infinite stopped her.

"You're injured, Mara. No."

Amara looked slightly offended. "What do you mean 'No'?! I'm a sitting duck out here!"

"I'm not going to let you walk until we get that wound looked at."

"It's just a flesh wound, Boss."

"That's **exactly** what Marauder said before he died!"

Amara gripped his paw. "Boss."

Infinite sighed and gently lifted her, being extremely careful with her wound, before the other jackals escorted them back home. When they arrived back at their stronghold, Infinite laid Amara in his bed. "Medic!" He ordered, the Jackal Squad's personal medic quickly appeared.

He bowed to Infinite. "What do you need?"

Infinite motioned to Amara, trying to hide his worry. "She was stabbed during a raid."

The medic approached Amara, and immediately saw her wound. He bent down and examined it, gently touching the site. "She'll be fine, the wound is just a flesh wound, no organs were injured."

Infinite seemed to relax.

"I told you that it wasn't bad, Boss."

Infinite nodded. "I know that now…" He hugged Amara gently.

"Mind if I get that wound patched up for you, First Lieutenant Amara?" The medic asked, she painfully remembered the blood that was still spilling out of her wound and nodded. The medic didn't take long to bandage her injury. "There you go, Lieutenant. I'd advise staying down for a day or two though."

Amara gently touched the bandages. "Thank you."

The medic nodded and left.

As soon as the sound of footsteps ceased, Infinite climbed up on the bed, pulling Amara closer to him.

"Aww, are you worried about me?"

Infinite laid his paw on the wound.

Amara had been a bit sarcastic when she had made that statement, but she saw that he was having a bit of a panic attack over her. She felt herself getting pulled closer to Infinite, who was holding her tight.

He held her like that until night fell, when she needed to get back to her own den.

She squirmed a little bit to get Infinite to pay attention to her, not her wound. "Infy. It's getting late, I gotta go back to my den now."

Infinite finally stopped holding onto her and got off the bed, lifting Amara up into his arms. He took her to her den and set her down on two feet gently. "I'm gonna change your clothes for you, Mara, ok?"

The words shocked her as soon as he said them, but she nodded, knowing he was just trying to take care of her.

Infinite gently lifted Amara's shirt off her body and gently put a softer, looser shirt on before kissing her cheek gently.

Amara gave him a slight smile, she kissed him back before he led her to her bed and set her down gently. She leaned towards Infinite as his grip on her loosened, she hugged his hand.

He bent down and looked into her golden eyes. "Do you need me to stay here, Mara?"

Normally, she could've made herself say 'no', but she found herself nodding and clutching tighter on his arm as pain pulsed in her torso.

"Alright, Mara, I'll be right here if you need me…" He pulled away from her arm and laid down on the floor, looking at her before closing his eyes.

Amara looked back, although he could be extremely overprotective of her, she was glad that he was there for her.


	2. Regaining What Was Lost

Upset footsteps echoed through the cold and unforgiving halls of an even more unforgiving prison. The footsteps originated from a large cell with a familiar figure; Infinite the Jackal. His mask was not present on his scarred face; it laid discarded in a dark corner. It had several scratches on the metal workings; a result of Infinite throwing it across the cell in fury. The imprisoned jackal angrily sat down on the cold metal bench and slapped his foot down onto the ground, creating an echoing thud. He leaned up against the wall frowning, then gingerly touched the new wound on the left side of his face mindlessly. The wound was an assortment of claw slash marks, from a fight right before his imprisonment. However, this pain was nothing compared to how he felt inside. There was nothing he could do other than sit, sit and wait to see if he would be executed.

He hoped he would be executed. And he hoped they would do it soon.

It's not like he was suicidal or anything… he just had nothing left to live for.

And the worst of it was, the Phantom Ruby had messed up even **his **mind, and with the Ruby destroyed, he couldn't end what he saw every day. He couldn't stop seeing the Jackal Squad, and it only made him feel worse.

He had started this reign of terror to show the world what it feels like to have your loved ones snatched away by death, to try and soothe his own aching heart.

Infinite cried out in both anger and pain and a rifle cocked, providing a chilling echo. "Just shoot me." Infinite snarled. "You know you detest me."

After the deaths of the Jackal Squad, Infinite had no one left for him here….. or anywhere on Mobius. His eyes, one blue and one yellow, begin to sparkle and glint with tears as he turned towards the cold wall of his cell.

"Amara…" He began, whispering to the wall. "Why couldn't you be here for me?"

The Empire had abandoned him.

Eggman was not coming back.

The Jackal Squad would come, had they not been dead.

Even through his own mental mourning, Infinite heard footsteps and sat up straight, turning away from the wall. He didn't want anyone to see him mutter over his own dead.

The guard that had cocked the rifle suddenly screamed in agony, the scream being cut off chillingly.

One second passed. Then two.

The rifle uncocked.

The footsteps continued, becoming louder as time slowly creeped by.

Infinite's cell door opened.

"Captain." A whispering voice called out, causing him to look at the figure which was….

_Amara?_

Infinite couldn't believe his eyes.

"Amara?!"

The rest of the Jackal Squad then appeared at the door.

Infinite gaped, words refusing to leave his mouth. "But! You're! You're!"

Amara grabbed the scarf on his chest and tenderly kissed his lips, silencing him.

"Dead? Heh, we **were**, till that Phantom Ruby of yours glitched out and forced our souls back into our bodies."

Suddenly and without thinking, Infinite clutched his no-longer-dead fiancee in a hug, catching her off guard.

A smile flashed across the young female's face.

"Enough with the sentiment!" Hunter yelled. "Are you a mercenary or a sap?!" Amara sighed before she rolled her eyes and grabbed the ragged fur on Hunter's neck, speaking in a snarling whisper.

"In case you have forgotten," She began, hushed and annoyed. "we are in a prison attempting a breakout. Keep your voice down." She then let go of his neck, causing him to drop to the floor before she pulled out Infinite's sword and held it out to him. "Ready, Captain?"

As he took the sword from her she glitched, her hand suddenly chilled as she shuddered uncontrollably between Amara and a dead creature of illusions.

She gasped once she stopped glitching, rubbing her hand. "The Ruby could not restore us completely, time is already running out, Boss. You must be quick, reclaim this world before our time once again runs out, because as much as I hate to admit it….. We are just living illusions."

Infinite quickly took his sword from her, filled with a new sense of urgency.

"Then let's go." He snarled, leading the Jackal Squad out of the cell.

He had let this world claim them once. But he was stronger now, no longer the weak, unprepared mercenary that had stumbled into this war.

He was the Ultimate Mercenary.

And he would not let this world take his squad again.

Author's Note: This work is a former contest entry that I have re-written. It is neither canon nor AU. It is included in this group of Infimara oneshots because it has some of those elements in them.


	3. Unfading Memories (For Amara Teaser)

Infinite just couldn't quite come to terms with the pain. It had been five, maybe six months since it had happened... he couldn't quite remember through the fuzz of illusions and glitches that muddled his mind and heart. All he could clearly see was the hallway he was storming through; empty as ever, and full of an eerie, violent light that provided no escape from his unalterable reality.

His squad was dead. And it was his fault.

_Why were you so _**_stupid_**_? If you'd just _**_listened_**_ to her, they'd still be alive! _Infinite scolded himself endlessly, with various different phases highlighting what he had lost, some more personal than others. _You would've been married to the love of your life and could have had a child on the way now! How could you have done this to yourself?! To them?!_

He halted his storming advance through the darkened hall at a door, then shoved it open and stormed into a small room. Slamming the door behind him, he ripped off the metal mask that concealed his identity.

A tall, thin window stood across the room from him, with a bed to his left, and a mirror attached to a cluttered table on his right, a little closer to the window than the bed. A small, less cluttered desk set right next to the table, with a box underneath it. The room was long instead of wide and was small compared to the other huge rooms in the building.

The table's clutter considered of several daggers, a shotgun (or maybe two... he couldn't quite remember where one of the guns were,) and various papers and other trinkets.

He'd lived here for months, ever since he had fully joined forces with Eggman after the incident at Aqua Road... the incident that took the lives of the only people who had ever loved him... He had chosen to live in this small space to feel like he was in control, turning down various large rooms offered to him. Infinite wanted to convince himself that something in his life was still stable, that he was still in control of _something_; but the jackal knew the truth: he had no control over himself or anything he touched.

_Pull yourself together, Infinite!_ He placed his mask onto the smaller desk and sighed, then growled as his sigh was much more mournful that he wanted to admit.

The Phantom Ruby implanted in his chest glinted with a lethal, yet intriguing, streak of red light.

Infinite's lips parted slightly to reveal his sharp fangs as he stretched out his palm, beginning to summon the Ruby's power, then slammed the illusions into his chest once he deemed he had summoned enough.

His emotional pain dulled almost instantly, but his vision became blurry and he stumbled.

"Ugh, Going to have to remember to sit down before I attempt that once more." Infinite felt around the tiny space to find his bed, then flopped down onto it until his head felt clear and he was able to see again. He had no idea what inflicting his power onto his own brain would do to him, other than that it messed up his memory, but the result of eased pain was worth it to him.

Tampering with his own head was the only way to make Infinite feel at ease. He was alone, without anyone looking out for him or his needs.

To Eggman he was just a vicious killer, to the world he was the same thing, only violent and cold-hearted were the adjectives used... no one thought of him as anything but a killer and someone whose life was worthless.

Infinite once had people who cared about him, who thought he was more than just what his rough exterior portrayed, and he sent them to their own destruction. Now, he could never get them back; nothing eased the pain, even killing others hurt him after a while; seeing the living gather around their dead and mourn like he did several months before.

Infinite growled to himself once more. He could _not _keep thinking about the Jackal Squad; it just hurt him too much. Forcing himself up, Infinite walked over to the window, trying desperately to prevent himself from returning to his grief.

He stared out at the landscape, a burning day bleeding into an unstable night, focusing on the flames of the destruction that he'd caused doing the same thing that he was currently doing: Trying to forget about the deaths that he couldn't help but feel responsible for; trying to end his emotional pain.

He was able to force all of them to the back of his mind. All but one.

He couldn't keep from thinking about the jackal he adored, Amara, his feisty late fiancèe.

She had saved him from an adult mercenary when they were toddlers, and they were inseparable ever since. At least, until her death tore them apart.

Once he had remembered the day when they first met, their memories flooded into his head.

_"Hey, Infi-Boss!" A child Amara called, jumping down from a high ledge and landing theatrically in front of a now ten-year-old Infinite._

_"Mara, hey! What's up?"_

_"Meee!" She jumped all around him, then scaled a small cliff above him and looked down with a huge grin. Her fluffy tail wagged and Infinite began laughing._

_"Mara! Get down from there! You could fall!"_

_Amara squealed with self-satisfaction and began to leap down. "I'm the queen of the world!" She declared to the cliffs of their desert home, before stopping right in front of Infinite's face. "And you can be my king!"_

Infinite chuckled at the memory, shaking his head as tears ran down his muzzle.

_"No way! _**_I'm_**_ the _**_king_**_ of the world, and _**_you_**_ can be __**my** __queen!" Infinite proclaimed with intense pride._

_"Ok!" She nodded over and over again. "But that still makes me the queen of the world!"_

_They laughed and fell on top of each other, rolling around and curling up in each others' tails._

As the flashback ended and the young Infinite and Amara faded away, the full-grown Infinite found himself on the floor, unable to stop sobbing.

He turned his head in the direction of the box underneath his small desk, then crawled towards the table, pulled out the box and begun to dig through its contents.

His paw settled on a frame, he pulled it out and whimpered as he looked upon the photo inside.

The photo was of the Jackal Squad when they were young teens, no older than thirteen. But what caught Infinite's attention was Amara's smile: the brightest smile he had seen from her young years.

_"I told you that you could do it, and now look at you!"_

_Amara laid in Infinite's bed, shaking slightly, with deep audible breaths every so often._

_Infinite bent down and brushed her hair away from her forehead. "How do you feel?"_

_She smiled softly and met his gaze with golden eyes that were growing stronger for the first time in her life. "I can't believe... I'm actually... _**_free_**_... no one told me I'd ever be free."_

_"I knew you could do it..."_

_"Thank you, Infy... I can't ever tell you how much this means..."_

_"Don't worry bout it, Mara... so tell me, what do you want to do for your first day of not being an addict?"_

_Amara grabbed onto Infinite's broad shoulders and shakily pulled herself up to him. "I just wanna spend time with you, honestly... Maybe we could go watch a duel or something?"_

_Infinite smiled and wrapped his arms around her body, stroking her face. "Of course! We can watch several if you'd like..."_

_To Infinite's surprise and pleasure, Amara tucked her head into his neck and kissed him on the base of his chin. "You are my raksai..."_

_"Raksai?" Infinite had never heard the word before, but didn't want to upset Amara._

_"It's from the deepest dialect from the Defied Slums... it means both "One Who Heals Me" and "One Who Sets Me Free"... you are the one who healed me and the one who set me free..." She chuckled a little. "Kinda funny that such a screwy place has a word like that, huh?"_

_The two buried their heads into the other's neck, embracing each other tenderly._

_"I'm honored to be your raksai..."_

Infinite looked up from the framed photo and turned to the burning sky outside, clutching the photo against his chest. "I'm so sorry, Mara... I was not who you needed me to be..."

Infinite was so consumed with the memory that he didn't even notice his door open, much less see the little red robot come in.

"Commander Infinite, the Doctor-"

Infinite quickly faced the robot, which turned out to be Orbot. _Just what I need, one of the Doctor's stupid little bots, not like he's much of a doctor anyways..._ He glared at the robot.

"He-uhh..." Orbot stuttered at facing the former mercenary, somehow with the notion that he interrupted something.

Infinite sighed and turned back to the frame and the memory of his lost love, causing Orbot to wheel over.

"What is that, if I may ask?"

Infinite growled a little. "Doesn't matter... they're gone anyways... She's gone..." It hurt to say that they were gone, but he had to keep telling himself. Maybe one day he'd accept it and it wouldn't hurt so much.

"Are they coming back? What did you do to make her leave?"

Infinite growled, then stood up quickly and waved his paw; the sound of illusions smashing Orbot's metallic body against the outside wall was heard quickly after. He waved his paw once more to close the door from across the room. _Rub it in, won't you, Orbot?_

No one dared to understand him, and everyone who had happened to hear him out always assumed that anything bad that happened to him was his fault. Not that they were completely wrong, there were several instances where the issue was Infinite's fault, but hearing it over and over didn't help anything.

He sighed and turned back to the box, then picked up the frame and placed it onto his table before bending down and continuing to look through the contents of the box, which activated yet another memory, this time one from only a few years before.

_"Hey, Infinite." Amara stood leaning against the wall of the Squad's dirt home, rolling her shoulders up against the wall, holding a decent-sized wine glass._

_"Oh, don't tell me. You went and got yourself drunk again?" Infinite smirked at her, she just replied with a shrill laugh, only making the new-adult male more certain of his reply._

_"Maaybe." She waltzed over and pressed her weight into the crook of Infinite's collar fur; he wrapped a sturdy paw around her and took the glass away, her goofy behavior blatantly saying she was drunk; however, he couldn't quite tell _**_how_**_ drunk she was._

_"You've already had one addiction, Mara, don't be adding things to the list of addictions I've had to help you with." He stroked her head gently, running his fingers through her hair as she stayed nestled in his chest, eventually running his fingers down her arm._

_She sighed happily and cooed. She then looked up into his eyes, catching his attention with her own sparkling, gold eyes. "Infy? Mind if I ask you something a little serious?"_

_"How serious?"_

_She smiled calmly, but also a little seductively. "Depends on how serious you think it is..."_

_Infinite chuckled, he knew that look, he'd seen it on her face enough to know she wanted something from him. "Alright, what is it?"_

_"Well, we don't last forever, and our job is definitely more lethal than the rest..." Amara's voice traveled up and down in an unsteady pitch, Infinite recognized the change in her voice quite easily, she'd clearly been drinking someone under the table; he was going to have to keep a closer eye on his slippery vixen now that she was getting older._

_"Alright, Mara, quite toying around. What do you want?" He hoped a stern approach would help her act a little less drunk._

_"A puppy."_

_Infinite was a little stunned, but also kinda relieved that she had said something. He had no way to tell if she was being serious or if the statement had come from her being loopy, so he decided to play low and try to hold her off until the alcohol wore off. He kept running his paw down her arm to distract her until he decided what to do._

_She probably shouldn't go to her own room, she'd be unsupervised. Even though she had been twenty-one for a while and should technically be a strong, independent woman, Infinite knew too well that he should never leave Amara alone when she was drunk. It was too risky for her, and just worried him._

_He finally decided to take her back to his room to keep an eye on her; she'd been there so many times that Infinite hoped she'd settle down just like she would in her own room. However, he also knew she might attempt to have a child with him. It wasn't like he didn't _**_want_**_ an heir with her... he just knew she'd get extremely cranky if she was drunk and he just went with it._

_Amara had also never mentioned a desire to have a baby, so there was no way for poor Infinite to figure out what his girl wanted._

_He picked Amara up and took her to his room, laying her on his bed gently before covering her with a blanket and sitting next to her. He stroked her head until she yawned a little bit. "Don't fall asleep, Mara, I have no idea how much you've been drinking and I don't want something to happen to you." He bent down to kiss her forehead; she reached around him, pulling him down and placed a kiss on his neck. "Alright, Mara, enough." He paused, thinking about what to do next. "I'll be right back." He stood and left the room, keeping a worried eye on Amara as he left. Once he was outside, he quickly went to a cave further into his squad's territory. "Cor?"_

_A jackal with brown fur of various shades walked towards the entrance of the cave. His ears were tipped in black, black hair that had the tips dyed light blue draped over the left side of his face. Black stripes ran across his arms and tail, which had a light brown tip. "At your service, Captain Infinite." Cor bowed deeply to the mercenary._

_"Amara's drunk, _**_again_**_. I have no idea how drunk though, but she keeps acting really strange."_

_"Of course she is... she's drunk!" He looked into Infinite's eyes and saw a genuine worry. "But what do you mean by 'acting really strange'?"_

_"Well..." Infinite leaned close to the medic's ears and whispered the whole story into them, Cor let them perk up a little._

_"Well, that is kinda strange, you're sure she's never once mentioned a baby before?"_

_"Yeah, I always give her my first attention when she talks, unless I'm dueling off a target, but she never talks personally while on a job, I've never heard her say anything about a pup."_

_"Well, she is twenty-one now, so there might be something about the fact that she's grown up that has sparked this instance, but she definitely needs to be checked on, I'll go back with you."_

_"Thank you so much, Cor, mind if we head back now?"_

_"Of course, Boss, I can tell that you're getting quite anxious to see her again."_

_The two jackals left Cor's cave and ran towards the main outcropping where the Jackal Squad lived, then quickly entered Infinite's den._

_However, Amara was sitting up completely when they entered, and seemed a little confused. "Infinite, what is Cor doing here?" Her voice had returned completely to normal, and she seemed to have returned to her normal demeanor and manner._

_"Amara! You're up!"_

_"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

_"Well, when I left to get Cor, you were acting really drunk and odd."_

_"Oh, please. I wasn't _**_that_**_ drunk."_

_"Mara, you were acting like you had no personal space-"_

_"I always do that."_

_"You weren't just doing that, Mara, you were acting extremely drunk, I could tell in your voice."_

_"I **never** said I _**_wasn't_**_ drunk. I just said I wasn't _**_that_**_ drunk." She leaned up against him and gave him another one of her seductive smiles. "So, how 'bout that puppy, Infy?"_

_Infinite chuckled a little, then nuzzled the side of her pointed face. "Sure, Mara. We'll have a puppy... Or at least try anyways." He turned his head and winked at Cor, who did a solitary wave and left the room, drawing the concealing curtain at the entrance closed._

_Amara twirled her large tail around Infinite's body, then pressed his paws against her stomach and kissed him firmly on the lips._

Infinite sighed again as another memory of her ended, but this time upon a note of what never came. The couple had tried to have kids since that day, trying hundreds of times over the years, but Amara never got pregnant. Not even once, she insisted.

Actually, she had conceived once a couple of months before her twenty-fourth birthday, but the child died a week or two after she started showing signs of her pregnancy, the whole scenario ending in a bloody mess for the wanna-be mother. The two were too scared to try to have another baby for years.

No one talked about it. It was quickly decided that all members of the Squad, including anyone living on the territory, would pretend that it never happened.

Naturally, it was extremely distressing to Amara, who had no idea **why **she couldn't get pregnant with a surviving child after years of trying, and this upset Infinite too, who needed an heir but had found more than just an unborn heir in Amara.

He'd found a life-long partner.

_"You wanna do something tonight?" A now twenty-six year old Infinite stroked the tip of his girlfriend's ear._

_The couple sat at a bar, half-drunk thugs filled the small dugout building, it was a favorite place for the Squad, their reception had only been improved by their status in Bloodpool. Amara was having a long, rough day and Infinite had decided to take her for a drink to try and have her relax._

_"What can I get for you two tonight, your majesties?" An orange-tan caracal approached the two at the bar, laying his paw across the table revealing the maroon swirl on his glove; he discreetly kept his eyes on Amara while completely avoiding any eye contact with Infinite until the jackal cleared his throat, pointing to a bottle of wine behind the caracal. "Very well, would either of you like a lace?" He turned his eyes back to Amara, his intentions unclear but base._

_Infinite caught onto the caracal bartender and snarled. "_**_Raziel_**_." His voice was full of warning. "Neither of us wish for a lace, just the drink. I will check."_

_Raziel let a small silence fall. "Yes, your majesty." he quietly slinked away from the jackals, taking the bottle that Infinite had pointed to with him._

_"So?"_

_"We tried last night, dummy."_

_"And yet we're still at a bar drinking... I'm sorry, who's the dummy?"_

_Amara's face visibly cringed, her eyes darted off to the side. Her whole demeanor changing from sassy to solemn. "Oh, so you _**_weren't_**_ talking about that, I'm listening." She forced herself to smirk at him, leaning a little closer._

_Infinite held her paw knowingly, causing her smirk to crumble. He didn't __expect for his retaliation to have bit her so intensely. "How about something sorta fancy, just you and me?"_

_"Like a date? We haven't had one of those in a while."_

_"My thought exactly." He stroked her muzzle, a smile returning to her face._

_Raziel returned to the couple and slid two full wine glasses next to Infinite. "Here you go, enjoy, you know the refill routine." He walked away from the couple._

_Amara took a few steps to go from her seat to being behind Infinite, waiting for him to hand her one of the glasses. "Infy, I can drink arsenic and be completely fine, why you gotta be so protective?"_

_"I don't really trust him, and if one of us is going to be drugged here, I'd want it to be me, not you." He then casually wrapped his arm around Amara's midsection, gently laying a paw on her stomach. He smirked when she noticed, hoping that being sassy towards her would make her laugh at him instead of upsetting her, since he realized that he didn't think about the act before he did it__._

_"You're a nerd, you're lucky you're cute." A thought then crossed Amara's mind that they might have gotten lucky after all the years and were finally going to have a baby. "But, uh, thanks for the concern." He removed his paw and reached for the glass that he'd been sniffing._

_"No problem. Here you go, Mara." He then handed her the glass._

_"Sweet, thanks babe." She kissed the base of his large ear and sat down, taking a drink. "Got us something softer, didn't you?"_

_Infinite nodded. "If we've got a kid on the way, you can't drink, so I thought I'd get something that didn't have as much alcohol in it so maybe you'd get used to drinking something a little decent, especially since there's no telling if it will inherit your drug tolerance."_

_"Fair." She took another drink, closed her eyes for a second, then sighed and opened her eyes, traces of tears present. "I hope we have a kid soon."_

_Infinite nodded, taking a drink out of his own glass. "I'd say something here, but you seem a little... out of it, so I'm not going to say it."_

_"Tell me. Now that I know it's coming, I won't be offended. Not that you typically offend me, that's more Hunter or Remy's style, but you know." She shrugged, trying to stay neutral._

_Infinite nodded, then shrugged. "I was gonna say that maybe if you'd take better care of yourself, this wouldn't be so hard."_

_"Eh, talk to my mother about that, she's the one that screwed me up."_

_"That's why I didn't say it, because I didn't want you to take it towards you personally." He paused for another second, thinking about whether he should further comment on her statement. "Also because I know how you feel about your mother." He finished the wine in his glass then watched Amara finish hers as well. "Wanna go?"_

_It was now Amara's turn to shrug. "Sure, why not? I wasn't craving another glass anyways, and there's not too much to do here."_

_"That's a good sign."_

_"I'm not an alcoholic and we both know it."_

_"Alright, alright." He took her paw and they walked out, heading for home._

_"You almost ready, Amara?" Infinite waited outside her den._

_"Yeah, just let me finish up." Amara then walked out with in a stunning black dress. It only covered one shoulder and hardly crossed across her chest on the other side._

_Infinite couldn't help but gape, he tried to form words to describe how beautiful she was, but he was unable to do anything but let his mouth drop._

_She was stunningly beautiful and she knew it. Amara took her paw and ran it down the side of Infinite's face and giggled slightly, wrapping her tail around his and leaning slightly into his shoulder as they walked outside once more._

_Later that evening, the couple sat on a cliff that overlooked a small valley-like depression in the surface of the planet, seeing a sunset of perfectly blended reds, oranges and blacks of every hue. A golden yellow outlined all forms in view, providing a fantastic view to an almost desolate location._

_Amara curled up in Infinite's tail, her head laying on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his chest, almost unable to take in the natural beauty of a scenario so rare in Bloodpool, Infinite observed both his beloved and the stunning sunset with marvel. "It's so beautiful," she began, her voice an awed whisper. "it's just like the sunset we saw when we fell in love... isn't it?"_

_"It is... although it might be better..." Infinite pulled her up to stand with him, caressing the side of her face. He didn't know how the next thing he'd planned was going to turn out, but he felt like it was the right time to do so. "Amara, I don't know what I'd do without you, I don't know if I would even be here today if I hadn't of had met you back when we were just pups..."_

_"Infinite?" Amara began to become worried about what he was going to say._

_"I would have been trapped in a worse place without you, I can take you for granted sometimes, but I wouldn't have been able to do anything that has made today possible if you didn't stand up for me that day... you were the first person to ever love me, and you still love me today throughout all my flaws... how I don't understand... I've been thinking about it, and I want to do my best to return the favor, though I may never fully repay you to the point where I've felt I've done enough for you." He took a step back, then a shaky breath, before he bent down on one knee, pulling out a ring. "Amara Jackal, will you marry me?"_

_Amara began to cry and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, Infinite! Yes!" She pressed her head into his and began to fan herself, on the verge of hyperventilating because of her pure joy, whispering 'yes' over and over._

_Tears of joy also began to roll down Infinite's face, he leaned a little closer to her and kissed her lips, she quickly joined in on the kiss._

_As they pulled back, their paws stayed joined and they gazed into each other's eyes. Infinite gently took Amara's left glove off and slid the ring onto her scarred paw, she lifted her paw up and gazed at it with an almost disbelief._

_"I'm getting married..." She whispered, then hugged Infinite tightly, a second wind of joyful tears pouring down her face. "I love you, Infy, I love you so much..."_

_"I love you too, Mara, I can't even begin to tell you."_

_"I'll stand up for you the best I can, until I can't be there for you anymore, I won't abandon you, Infy."_

_"I know you won't, Mara."_

_The newly-engaged jackals continued to hug each other before returning back home, where the others quickly noticed the ring on Amara's paw._

_"Amara! Where'd you get the pretty ring?" Remy asked._

_"Wait. Ring?" Hunter deadpanned in surprise._

_"Aye, Amara's got a ring on her paw." QuickStrike promptly replied to the shocked male. "Doncha know what that means, or are you two too busy messing around to understand?"_

_He waited for the two higher-ranked jackals to respond with confused gestures and faces. "Aye yi, maybe you two should spend less time in the bar, it means she and the boss are getting hitched."_

_"Ohhh!" Remy proclaimed with understanding. "Wait, what's 'hitched'?"_

_"I second that 'aye yi', QuickStrike." Both Infinite and Amara butted in with flat monotone voices in sync._

_"Ooh, I guess that's a 'we second' then." Amara added, noticing the in-sync statement._

_"Uh, hate to be the one speaking 'gainst the boss but, we're Bloodpool thugs, we don't 'get hitched,' it's kinda against the way we run things down here. We get born, get thrown out at a young age, survive long enough to become fertile, then spend the rest of our short lives trying to have offspring and keeping ownership of the other parent until the kid's old enough to get thrown out itself. We don't run stuff like those civilized people from Mobius do, there's never been a married couple, it's like law." Hunter tried to state that marriage in Bloodpool just did not exist._

_"You forget we're bred to break the law, Hunter." Infinite stated._

_"Yeah, but not _**_Bloodpool_**_ law! That's what keeps us from making ourselves extinct, even if it is pretty much a complete opposite of Mobian law."_

_"Me and Infinite are getting married, Hunter, now accept it." Amara snarled, revealing knife-sharp fangs._

_"Wouldn't challenge Amara, she outranks you by quite a bit of authority, and you know the boss will fight on her side." QuickStrike warned._

_Hunter growled, but stood down. "Don't say I didn't say anything..."_

_Amara looked at Infinite and smiled, then looked down at her ring._

_"You like it?" Infinite looked at it too, it looked just as lovely on her as he had hoped._

_"It's _**_beautiful_**_, I can't believe you'd actually do something like that... especially for me."_

_"Of course, you're my one and only, it was just right."_

_Infinite turned to the others. "Me and Amara are going to our den, now."_

_They walked to Infinite's den, then he pulled the curtain across the door._

_"So this is **our** den now?" Amara asked, looking around. "Now that we're engaged and all?"_

_"Yep, I figure that we can use your den for the baby when it finally comes."_

_"Heh, we'll have to do a lot of cleaning out in there to make it appropriate for a baby."_

_"It's not impossible, and even if it was, I've already accomplished one impossible thing." He winked at Amara, she just chuckled, took her shirt off and flopped onto the right side of the bed, he soon followed, curling up next to his fiancée before they fell asleep._

Infinite pulled his left glove off as the memory faded away, revealing Amara's engagement ring on his own paw. He'd gotten it from her body after Shadow killed her, knowing that she wouldn't be left to rest in peace if knowledge got out that it was still on her body.

He missed Amara dearly.

She had died a month before their wedding was supposed to happen. She was twenty-seven. Infinite was twenty-eight both now and then, and the thought of living an entire life without her hurt.

He adjusted the ring on his paw then clutched his paw into a fist and pressed it against his chest.

**"Infinite?"**

He looked around, searching for who called his name. "Who's there? Who... who are you?"

**"Someone who has been watching you, although you have not been able to see me."**

The voice sounded like it was from outside, so Infinite crept towards the window where the sky began to twist, almost like the colors were collapsing in on themselves, and a black void formed, taking a canine shape before two gold eyes formed in its black head, glowing as they turned to face Infinite.

He yelped as the void came towards him, flaring out the paw with the ring to get the creature to stop.

The void glitched as color returned to its body for split-seconds at a time, silver hair in a ponytail, black fur, golden eyes, and a fluffy tail that ended in silver.

Infinite couldn't believe his eyes. "Amara?!"

**"Yes. I am here. I never left your side, but I could not physically return to you instantly after death."** Amara reached out a black, inky paw and stroked Infinite's face, he did the same, or tried anyways.

"Why can't I touch you, Mara? You can touch me."

**"I must touch you first, apparently."** She laid her paw back on his and he returned her loving stroke.

"I missed you so much."

**"I know. I couldn't bear to see you mourn any longer, so I went to the angels' King and begged to be allowed to visit you. He said yes."**

Seeing that she was still touching his paw, Infinite pulled his late fiancee into the room. "I was thinking about all of you guys today... how are the guys?"

**"They are well, no pain or sickness exists in Heaven and for angels, no sorrow or trouble. However, as wine exists but becoming drunk or addicted is impossible, you can only guess what they've been doing."**

Infinite laughed, Amara did too. "I sure can, oh boy..." he continued to laugh a bit more. "It's nice to hear your voice again, even if you are a black hole."

**"I only appear as a black hole. You are corrupted, my beloved, you've let the ones who hired you rule and have let grief consume you, and that's why I appear as a void."**

"You can turn back to normal, right?"

**"Only if you can defeat your corruption and believe in me as well as yourself. But don't worry, I won't disappear again."**

Infinite gripped onto her. "Thank you, this time, you are truly _my _raksai."

**"No problem, Infy, this was my vow to you."**

Even with her comforting whispers, Infinite continued to cling to her spirit.

She had come back for him, and he was comforted.

Now it was time for him to show his gratitude by working to avenge her fully... but also show her just how much her love meant to him.


	4. Thieves of the Empire (AU)

Author's note: Holy cow, why have I not put this up?! I wrote it for a contest back in April! Anyways... enjoy this oneshot from an AU of mine, it won 1st for a prompt writing contest back in April-May... and read this info, it will help you not be lost :)

Backstory and AU info: This Mobius is ruled, not by Eggman, but by Infinite the Jackal and his wife, Amara. This AU is, generally speaking, during the time of Sonic Forces, but The Resistance has been defeated. No one has seen Eggman or his robots since his overthrow, and two Phantom Rubies exist in this AU, promoting distrust between former rebels, Freedom Fighters and the Jackal Empire. Amara secretly released Sonic from the Death Egg a few weeks before claiming power. The capital is called Haven City, the city as well as the cities/towns around it are clean, with little to no crime, it is located about where Metropolis existed.

The civilizations closer to Green Hill or the city near Green Hill have collapsed into slum-like structures as a result of resisting Infinite and Amara, who have offered multiple times to establish peace between them and the rebels, who have refused any help and as a result of their refusal, living conditions in Freedom Fighter towns have become appalling, but not because of their rulers. The majority of the Freedom Fighters/Resistance lives underground in the Green Hill area in a place called Refuge City, a city full of former Freedom Fighters/Resistance and others who despise Infinite's rule. Sonic has asked Manic to acquire various supplies that the city needs, since they are desperate both to get supplies and to not submit to Infinite.

~Enjoy!

_Aww, Great!_

Red sneakers hit the ground, a thundering march in close pursuit.

_I try to help my bro out, and **now** __I got the **Empire** __on my back!_

Screams and shouts echoed from confused and frightened citizens as they leapt out of the way.

A strongly built guard, a female cougar, leaped forward and toppled on top of her target; a green, teenaged hedgehog named Manic. Manic grunted and struggled underneath the strong grip of the cougar as additional soldiers arrived to restrain him.

"You are coming with us."

He looked over at the female guard, who had a silver and black mask concealing everything on her face except the muzzle, her fur was a light brown. Her armor, which used the same color palette as her mask, shimmered with her fury, the black chainmail fabric in between the silver plates added a eerie effect to her overall appearance.

The black on her mask was arranged in different cube-like shapes all over, reminding Manic of the shape of the Phantom Rubies.

"Just hope you're at the mercy of the Empress." She snarled in a furious voice, keeping a fierce grip on Manic frightfully close to his neck.

He gasped as she forced him upright, he noticed that all the guards had masks with the exact cube pattern as the cougar; they were a mixture of male and female.

Manic knew the strength of the Empire.

The guards, however menacing they may be, may not have been capable to stop him, but the Emperor and Empress could kill him with a thought.

You would not be caught **dead** supporting a rebellion above ground.

The only city that really **existed** that supported freedom was Refuge City, miles underground, but their short-lived rebellion existed only in writing; the real freedom fighters had perished before the Jackal Empire even existed, during the chaotic time of uproar between the start of the Eggman Empire and its violent overthrow.

One of the first thoughts in his mind was to 'borrow' something that could aid him, but he quickly had to remember the circumstances.

_This ain't Eggman's territory anymore Manic._

The cougar guard grabbed Manic's jacket by the collar and forced him to walk with the other guards back to Haven City, where the palace was.

Manic gasped as they reached the city, it seemed open and nice, not the least bit like he had envisioned. Some guards, all with the same cube masks, mingled with the citizens but, to his surprise, were not aggressive at all. They were laughing with the citizens, cracking jokes and purchasing things from them. One was even eating a meal with a golden tabby, participating in what seemed to be a regular, everyday conversation. These people didn't fear the guards like the people closer to Refuge City and the slums did, and seemed very pleased with life.

_Mondo strange... Maybe they're pretending not to be afraid in front of the guards._

Manic turned his head and saw the palace, decent in size, and sparkling from the metals used to build it.

"Woah, did they build that themselves, or did, like, the citizens do it?" His impression of Emperor Infinite had not changed even with the pleasant environment surrounding him.

One of the guards, a male raccoon, slapped him.

"Shut up." He growled, sword glittering at his waist.

Manic decided that he should heed the guard's one order, he was not even a mile away from his rulers, it would be stupid to make a scene.

As he was dragged closer to the doors of the palace, more armed guards met them.

"Prisoner headed for a meeting with the Emperor and Empress. **thief**." The cougar guard snarled without a pause between the arrival of the additional guards and her words.

The additional guards nodded and let them inside, pointing their spears and blades at Manic until the doors closed.

Manic's original captors entered a large chamber, the throne room of Emperor Infinite and his wife. They stopped.

The cougar tossed Manic across the room, causing Manic to land on his face and slide about two more feet because of the impact on the waxed floor. The cougar presented their prisoner to their ruler, her voice was loud, contained some power, and echoed throughout the throne room, giving Manic the notion that she was the unit's general. "Emperor Infinite! Empress Amara! Your loyal and faithful guards of Green Unit Seven have brought forth a prisoner into your powerful presence!"

From a veil of darkness not far from Manic's face, there came a gleaming yellow eye emblazoned on a red background, that eye was accompanied by a small, eye-sized, screen that glowed red off and on, hiding the glistening eye's pair from view. A silver mask glistened with the red light, instantly projecting danger and tyranny.

The guards seemed to avoid his eyes, Manic wondered it they were afraid.

He instantly gulped.

_Mondo uh-oh dude._

"This **thief** has been found **stealing** near a small village just outside Mystic Jungle! He is suspected of aiding **rebellion**!"

Manic glanced back at the cougar guard.

_Now wait just a Mobius minute..._

The creature with the silver, glowing mask, Emperor Infinite he assumed, dipped his head down once for a singular nod, then waved the guards off.

Manic chuckled nervously as the guards left, leaving nothing between him and his rulers. He expected for them to condemn him with vicious and hating voices. No, he **knew** their voices were full of hate and tyranny.

"Manic Hedgehog, is that correct?" A slightly high voice rang.

Empress Amara.

Manic gasped as his mind processed her voice, soft, like your favorite pet running up to you as you return home, but with a strong thuggish undertone as well.

The voice that he heard didn't quite make sense with the rumors about the empress, confusing Manic.

"Y-Yeah... That's me."

He saw the Empress stand in the shadows, then emerge like a dove. She was a jackal, tall and slim. A young adult, in her late twenties. A modest tiara gently laid across her head, with a Chaos Emerald shard as its centerpiece. The shard was a gift of treaty from Angel Island, a promise for peace between the two lands. One of the two Phantom Rubies sat on her neck, cradled by the necklace-like device holding it. Her steps were trying to be graceful, but turning out a bit awkward the more she regal she tried to be.

As her steps touched the ground, she walked towards Manic, reaching her hand down towards him.

Manic was **shocked**.

She **helped** him up? The empress turned and nodded towards her emperor, and he too stepped out of the darkness, removing the mask and leaving it by his throne.

His eyes were two different colors, one yellow, one blue. A white scar, one that had been there almost his entire life, crossed over his blue eye. He wore a white scarf surrounding his neck with a Phantom Ruby sitting on a necklace-like accessory. There was no doubt that, from what Manic was seeing, he was a strongly built creature. He stepped down onto the waxed floor, heading towards them.

"Sorry about the scare, Green Unit Seven's a bit rough, and with all the uproar after the Eggman Empire came in and started shoving everybody around, we need to try and keep the peace." Emperor Infinite told Manic.

"So, you're a thief?" She asked.

Manic shrugged, hoping that acting a bit careless about his charge would make them lose interest. "That's how I was raised."

"Us too." The Empress replied, beginning to intertwine her fingers with the Emperor's.

"Wait a Mobius minute... You mondo serious?"

She nodded. "Before we had an empire, we had... An empire." She giggled a bit at her wording.

"Of mercenaries." He finished for her. "We've been thieves since childhood too."

_Are they serious?_

"So you're not nobles that just like, happened to get all powerful?"

The two jackals started laughing almost instantly. "Blades and Axes, **no**!" They continued laughing.

"Could nobles settle uproars?!" Emperor Infinite roared with laughter. Once their laughter died down, he turned to Manic and sighed, smiling a bit from his laughter. "Oh, sweet Mobius, is that **really** what the citizens think of us?"

"That and, like, a lot of them are scared of you."

They seemed alarmed at that. "Scared of us? Why?" The Empress looked instantly distressed.

Manic shrugged. "Maybe cause of, like, you know, the overthrow, and the uproar, and the guards in creepy masks, and the rumors."

"There is fear in every uproar. But we are trying to help the citizens." The Emperor replied.

_Hmm, doesn't sound like somethin' Eggman would've said, but maybe he's tryin' to throw me off._

"Like what?" Manic asked, skeptical of the rulers.

"Have you seen the names of the cities?" Empress Amara began. "Eternity, Haven City, Infinity," She listed, before making a snarky face at her husband. "but that last one's just for Mr. I'm-The-Emperor-So-I-Can-Name-Things-What-I-Want."

He gave her an offended, yet playful, look. "At least it wasn't the capital! You said 'Utopian Names'."

She playfully whacked him with her tail, _fwop!_, and chuckled.

"Don't mind him, he sometimes forgets how much he needs me." Empress Amara told Manic, while teasing the Emperor with her words.

"So, You're not going to, like, throw me in the dungeon, your royal majesties?"

"**No!**" They replied in sync.

"We're rulers, not barbarians!" Emperor Infinite proclaimed.

"And please," The Empress began again. "Just call me Amara."

"And just call me Infinite." Infinite added.

_Hmm, Infinite and Amara, I think I've earned their trust so far... But, like, WHY do those names sound mondo familiar?_

"Come. We can't leave actual visitors waiting in the throne room" Amara waved him over to a small door.

Infinite went through the door after Manic did, and quickly walked up to Amara.

Manic followed them, looking around the room, still suspicious. As he looked around, he saw more and more personal items the further into the palace they went. He gasped as he noticed the theme of all the items.

_**That's** why Infinite and Amara are familiar, he led the Jackal Squad! And she was a high-rankin' mercenary from the squad! That's, like, what they meant when she said 'before we had an empire, we had an empire'!_

Manic walked into a large room, smaller than the throne room, but still large. It looked like a room that you would find in a normal house, chairs, a recliner, and a door that led to a kitchen.

"Take a seat." Infinite motioned to the various seating around the room.

Manic set down in a chair, which was extremely comfortable.

Amara flopped down on another chair, lacking any regalness whatsoever, and crossed her legs. "Vengeance!" She called, a small animal appeared shortly after.

It too, had a mask covering everything but her muzzle, but the design on the mask was different. Its mask had markings resembling an animal's stripes instead of the silver and black cubes on the guards' masks.

The creature was not a guard.

"How can I serve you, Empress?" a high, young voice asked sweetly, politely bowing.

Manic gasped.

The creature named Vengeance was an eleven-year old girl.

"Meet our visitor, Manic." Amara motioned to the green hedgehog.

"Welcome, Manic." Vengeance slightly bowed to him.

"Hey" Manic couldn't piece the royals together.

Who was Vengeance? Why was she here?

Who were Infinite and Amara really? If they were so powerful, why hadn't they already conquered Refuge City and made it like Haven City? Were they really as nice and kind as they seemed or were they just looking for the right time to attack and obliterate Mobius?

Would Infinite turn around and kill Manic if he looked like he could be dangerous to Infinite's rule?

And why did it look like Amara was reading his thoughts?

"Are you afraid of us?" Amara kept her eyes on Manic, fiddling with the Phantom Ruby dangling from her neck, it gleamed with sunlight, projecting a reminder of its lethal power.

Manic gulped. "Just a bit overwhelmed."

_That Phantom Ruby device... Does it let her read minds?_

Amara nodded at Infinite, who nodded before they both looked back at Manic. "Well then, we won't keep you any longer." She told him gently.

After Manic had been 'arrested', they were just going to let him leave? Scot-free?

Infinite quickly summoned a guard. "He will escort you out." Infinite gave Manic a small smile, shocking the green hedgehog even more. "Have a pleasant day."

Manic looked at the guard, who waved at him, then he followed the guard out.

He had more questions about the Jackal Empire now then he ever had before.

Manic still wasn't sure if they were even the slightest bit trustworthy. He remembered what that other Manic was like, the one who also had a throne. Manic knew one thing however: Infinite and Amara had led lives that mirrored Manic's childhood, when he lived with Ferrell and the other thieves.

And who knows what that spelled for Mobius.


	5. A Hostile Return- Part One

Author's Note: This is intended to be a short 3-Part story based around the Jackal Squad and a new character ^^

The exact number of parts may vary.

* * *

A middle-aged jackal dashed through the burnt, harsh landscape of the Bloodpoolian desert within the Canyon, on all fours as he panted from the heat. He knew he wasn't being chased, he just had an odd adoration for pushing himself to sprint long distances and with where he was headed, he was going to need it. With great speed, he bounded over fallen rocks from a recent landslide as he approached his destination, the territory of the Jackal Squad. Ducking over to the side of the valley walls, the male tried to get as far into the area as he could before getting caught.

However, an ever-attentive male watched the horizon, spotting the older male the instant he came into sight of the post. "Hey!" He growled, staring down at the intruder. "This is my ground. You have no business here."

The older male nearly collapsed at the voice, crouching to the ground. "I-I know… I wish no malice!"

"Then leave."

He hesitated. "I am looking for someone… I have great reason to think they are here."

"You're seeking my female, are you not?"

"Uhh, yes, but-" The middle-aged jackal was cut off by the young male jumping onto him and pressing his claws into the intruder's shoulder.

"Amara is not for claim. If you wish her and her pups, you must fight to the death."

"Woah! I do not wish to take her from you! I just wish to reconcile a past relationship."

"Who are you? Amara never spoke of anyone but her mother."

The intruder desperately attempted to creep backward, stammering. "I don't know what I may call myself, just what I may call her."

"Okay then, what is it?" He snarled, pressing harder into the male's shoulder.

He gulped. "My name is Lusk; I seek Amara… my daughter."

"Amara!" Infinite stepped into the den system with a tone that was more professional than the jackals were used to.

A strong female with glowing gold eyes and fine features stepped out from a corner, pronouncing herself with a roll of her chest. "Boss."

Lusk, who was standing right behind Infinite, gasped at the visual of his daughter.

"There's someone here to see you, Amara." Infinite stepped to the side to allow Amara to see her father.

She bared her teeth and snarled instantly upon his presence. "Lusk. I told you never to come searching for me if you valued your life."

Remy, seeing Amara's anger, gulped and ducked further into the den system.

Lusk gulped once again. "A-Amara…"

While Lusk shook at the sight of his powerful daughter, Hunter, Remy and QuickStrike had ducked off to safely view the scene. "Who do you think that is?" Remy whispered.

"I don't know, but Amara sure seems to." Hunter muttered back.

"The boss seems oddly okay with him being in the den and talking to Amara, so he must not be trying to take her." QuickStrike whispered with curiosity.

"He seems too old to be a new member, though… and we have enough guys here anyway, five-to-one ratio. If we're getting new jackals then we need girls!" Remy near complained.

"Remy, hush your muzzle! Quit worryin' about females!"

"Both of you get quiet! No one can _hear_ _over_ you but if you don't _shut up_ then the boss _will_ _hear_ you!" QuickStrike snapped through a whisper.

"Why do you still come after me?" Amara snarled.

"Amara… my daughter…" Lusk reached out for Amara's paw, enraging the female.

"Oh! So _now_ I'm your daughter?! _Now_ after refusing to come for me for twenty-three years?!" She clenched her teeth and her fists and her breaths changed to snarls in a panting pattern.

"I didn't know you existed! I never knew she was pregnant with you!" He reached out and touched the fur on her neck, lightly brushing the white-tipped fur downwards. A little marking in the shape of a dove formed. Lusk then took Amara's paw and brushed the fur on his neck the same way, revealing a swirl marking in the exact same place. "I'm sorry for what Taruna did to you, if I had known I would have braved her a little while longer to save you. I don't want to spend the rest of my life pretending that I never had a child, to do the same thing the rest of Bloodpool does, I want to make this right with you. I want you to be my daughter… I _want_ to be your dad, but I can't do that if you don't forgive me."

Amara's breaths began to grow shaky, everyone present watched her to see what she'd do.

Both Infinite and Lusk kept their eyes closely on Amara, hoping for her forgiveness.

Amara shook her head and ripped away from Lusk, voice in a wailing shriek. "Infy!" She bounded into his arms and buried herself there, sobbing.

Infinite clutched her close to himself, then looked up at Lusk and shrugged.

Lusk looked down and sighed.

His daughter sure had her mother's fury.


	6. A Hostile Return- Part Two

Later that night, Infinite sat on the couch in the main part of the den, sighing. Not long afterward, he heard the sound of someone's paws hitting the ground, and a slender figure soon appeared in the main room. "Amara. I thought you went to bed." He smiled at the sight of her.

The female then looked around the room before proceeding to remove her shirt from her body, showing off the stripes on her torso. As she dropped her shirt and moved her paws back to their neutral positions, Amara placed her right paw on her hips.

Infinite stood and walked over to her, gently wrapping his hand around her waist.

She leaned into him, placing her paw onto his chest and her muzzle into the crook of his neck. Both her and her breathing seemed a little shaky.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

Usually, she wasn't this clingy. She began to stammer and inched closer. "I-I-I just…"

"Is this about Lusk?"

She instantly began to stammer again and gasped for breath as she tried forming words.

Infinite gripped her a little harder and took one of her paws in his. "Hey, it's okay, it's alright…" He pulled her closer to his body. "You're afraid of him, aren't you? Afraid that he's going to be like your mom…"

Amara nodded, then tears began to leak from her eyes. Her breaths turned spastic. "You… you don't know what she did to me!" She began shaking and tears spilled from her.

Infinite held her to try and contain her shaking. "Hey, Mara, look at me." He waited until she was focused on him, tears still spilling from her eyes. "I'm not saying I have any idea of how horrible your mother was, nor am I trying to." He looked at her, then sighed and squeezed her hand. "C'mon, sit here." Infinite sat back down, pulling her down with him. He let her curl up next to him, allowing her to use his tail as a blanket. Infinite kept a hand on her upper waist, stroking her gently.

Eventually, she calmed and fell asleep. Her body was pressed up against his as she smiled and unconsciously lifted her head from his shoulder to kiss him.

Infinite tenderly kissed her head in return, being careful to not wake her. "Love you too."

A gentle sigh of adoration was heard, but not from either of the young jackals.

Infinite turned his head from his beloved to find the older jackal who was a factor in her earlier panic. "Lusk." The captain said somewhere in between a whisper and speech. "You're still here?" His voice was slightly curious, which confused the elder male.

"I-I thought it was well to- wait, you're not mad?"

"Not really, just surprised. I thought you would've bailed after she had refused to take you."

"Not instantly, we both have similar feelings towards the lady who brought her here. I knew she would take me in a similar fashion and wouldn't welcome me. I was, however, surprised by how long she was able to hold herself."

Infinite glanced down at her, then looked back towards Lusk once stroking her again. "I think she's afraid of you." He mentioned with solemn softness.

"That was something that I did not anticipate, but it makes full sense now that I'm hearing it. What makes you say so?"

"Well, for starters, I know that she tends to be a lot more aggressive to things that she finds threatening, she also ran from you sobbing. Also, I think she just had a bit of a panic attack when I asked her about why she was acting strange. I said your name and she started shaking."

"She thinks I'm going to treat her like her mother did," Lusk responded without a pause.

"Yeah. How'd you- have you been listening in on us?"

"Eh, just a tiny bit. However, I didn't hear too much, haven't been out here too long. Both of us know her mother to a frightening point. I had a child through her, Amara, and that child was abused. How badly, however, I don't know."

Infinite looked back at his sleeping lover, then stroke her again as if he was trying to keep her asleep. "I know. At least some vital things."

"What happened?"

"Well, first of all, Taruna tried everything to kill Amara off before she was born. That didn't work and Mara was an addict until she was about twelve. Since for some reason Taruna was kept from snapping her neck, Mara was viciously beaten until…" Infinite found that he was becoming choked up and he wiped away a small flood of tears.

"Until what?" Lusk was horrifyingly concerned.

Infinite took a deep breath and gulped, looking at Lusk. "You really wanna know what happened?"

"Yes! Maybe if I know, I can show her that I'm not anything like Taruna. Maybe I can get her to warm up to me."

Infinite nodded and took a deep breath, giving him a grave look. "Amara's mother tried to drown her in acid."


	7. A Hostile Return - Part Three

Author's note: This part was co-written with JustThatOneFox, who is also my co-writer for _Twisted Reality _and _Against All Odds_.

* * *

Amara slowly approached the entrance of the dark forest. As she peered into the darkness, all that she could think about was why her father would even come here in the first place. Did he have some sort of emotional attachment to the location? Or was it because he wanted to get as far away as possible?

_Of course, Father just __**had **__to venture into this place. Does he even realize this is enemy territory?_

Amara shook her head. "Hmpf. No matter, I better go find him right away before I lose someone I might care about."

The jackal checked the ground beneath her, and sure enough, there were shoe prints embedded in the soil.

"Tracks…" _*sniff sniff*_ "...and they're fresh too. It's got to be Lusk." She immediately dashed into the forest, unaware that a pair of red eyes were watching her from above…

Meanwhile in the deepest part of the forest…

"Urk, I should've never shown my face to her…" Lusk muttered. "All those years… wasting my life away drinkin' and gamblin'... when I should have been looking for her!"

Lusk violently slammed his fist against the bark of a nearby tree. Panting, Lusk slowly checked his paw. It was bleeding; his knuckles cut open from the brutal punch.

Lusk continued to stare at his now profusely bleeding fist. Then he frowned. Tears slowly leaked from his eyes as he winced; not in pain, but in sorrow. Suddenly, he kicked the same tree with all the force he could summon, then fell to his knees.

_*sniff*_ "All my life… I could have been with her... My daughter… All my life I could have been searching… for Amara…" Lusk said under his breath.

"Because I've been gone for so long… I've become such an untrustworthy person. The many lies I've told over the years may have not meant much to me during my time as a young jackal, but… if I knew I had a daughter then…"

Lusk clenched his paws in tight fists. "I could have been better… better than that poor excuse of a mother Amara had. She didn't deserve to be raised like that, no child should. It's my fault as to why she's the way she is now. And she hardly even trusts me…"

All the middle-aged jackal could do was just sit there, unmoving. If he couldn't be the man he used to be, let alone connect with his own daughter, then who was he now? Just some washed up old jackal with no purpose? A drunk? A worthless mutt who should be wiped off the face of Mobius?

"No… no, I'm not any of those things." Lusk got back up from his position. "There's still Amara… She's my will to live." He said proudly.

A sudden rush of wind blew by Lusk, snapping him out of his ordeal. Immediately, he pulled a pristine metal sword from his sheath and searched frantically around him.

"I know you're there… eavesdropping on me, huh?" He spoke aloud. "You got real nerve to be spying on an old guy like me who's hit an all-time low."

"Yep, you absolutely did." A feminine voice snarked back.

Lusk's eyes shot wide open. "A-Amara is that-?" On cue, the young female jackal dropped down from above and looked her father in the eyes.

"Did you really mean it?"

"Which part?"

"All of it." Amara laughed a bit. "Is your life so pointless without me that you would feel so… worthless? Am I that important?"

"Amara… I've spent my whole life running away from problems. I've spent even more getting into them. Twenty-three years ago, I was a young lad who hardly didn't care about anyone or anything. Little did I know that I would be the cause for making such a beautiful thing that would mean the world to me."

Lusk started to tear up a bit. "I threw away all those years being such a stuck-up piece of junk… when I should have been there for you. I'm sorry, little one…"

Amara stammered herself. Could she really be _that_ special to someone who neglected to come for her throughout all her needs during the painful time called her childhood? He caused all her pain, even if he wasn't the inflictor… so why was he so concerned now? Was he just sorry that he had consequences from when he was her age, or is she really his last will to live? _He said that he's spent his whole life running from his problems… that's probably the only reason that he came back… but he seems to be just completely trashed, there's no way that I'm that important to him, is there? Am I really the only thing his pathetic life has left?_

_Do I really mean the world to him?_

Their eyes locked, father and daughter, two sides of a broken bridge. Neither could remove the other from their view. It was almost as if both Lusk and Amara were trapped by the thoughts and doubts they had towards the other.

Suddenly, a spear whooshed right between the two jackals, landing just at their feet. Lusk and Amara both were stunned, but not paralyzed. They both immediately noticed that the way the spear was thrown meant that it came from above. So the two of them checked the trees, searching for the culprit.

"I don't we're the only ones in this forest, Daughter." Lusk said uneasily. Amara on the other hand shook her head.

"Father, I don't know if you realize this but…" Amara was about to continue, when once again, more spears came flying towards them from above.

Lusk and Amara dodged as many spears as they could, hoping to not get punctured by one of them. Then a figure appeared from the dense canopy above them. Without much light, it was hard to make out what exactly the creature was.

"You! Invading territory you are! Leave now or else!" The shadowy figure shouted from above the jackals.

Lusk of course was quick to talk. "You really think I'm just gonna walk away after you threw a bunch of spears and nearly killed my daughter? Hell no! I ain't leaving until I kick your butt!" He snarked.

"Keep your mouth shut, Dad! This is the territory of—"

Before Amara could finish, more spears flew towards them, and once again, Amara and Lusk had to avoid another attack. Amara was starting to think that having her dad around may be a bad idea. And just when it couldn't get any worse, more shadowy figures appeared above from the dark canopy of the woods. Each figure dashed rapidly towards different tree branches, jumping back and forth to confuse the enemy. (The enemy being the jackals of course.)

"Ugh… these things are givin' me a damn headache…" Lusk complained as he spun in circles to keep his eye on the blurs rushing past him. Amara on the other hand wasn't having it. Closing her eyes, she focused and honed her senses on where exactly they were coming from. Then with blinding speed, Amara unsheathed her blade and sliced one of the shadowy figures without hesitation. Amara let out a heavy breath, looking down at the enemy she had just slain.

"Damn I knew it…" Amara groaned.

"Knew what, dearie?"

"Look for yourself." Amara pointed at the dead body. "Hyenas." She answered. "We're in their territory."

"You must be joking? You're telling me those rascals are camping out here in this forest? That's bull."

_***TWACK***_

Amara was smacked straight across the left side of her head by a very hard weapon. Since the figure was moving twice as fast, the attack was far more powerful, and thus leaving a quite visible gash on the side of her head.

Lusk dashed over to his daughter to see if she was badly injured. "Amara, talk to me! You alright?"

Amara winced in pain as she could feel the gash on her head. She attempted to touch it, but it only ended in even more pain. Though on the verge of tears, Amara did her best to stay strong.

"Dad… I'm fine really… let me fight-"

"Dearie, you stay low and keep pressure on that wound." Lusk handed her a rag in hopes it could help her for the time being.

Just behind Lusk, all of the Badlands Gang members stopped their rapid movements and landed perfectly onto the soft soil beneath their feet. The grunts all aimed their spears and bows at Lusk, who was kneeling by his daughter.

"We now bring great leader, Remi!" A grunt yelled. Sure enough, a tall looking hyena with a gun holster stepped out from the crowd of pawns.

"Well well well, looks like we got ourselves some rule breakers, boys." Remi snickered as he smoked his cigarette.

He stood, tall and dangerous before Lusk and his downed daughter. "Thought you fancy hounds were aware of our boundaries… or is nothin' swell enough for 'your majesties?'"

At the conclusion of his speech, the pawned crowd erupted into cackles. "Hah! Your cap'n is gonna pay this time!" One of them howled in laughter as he punched his hands together.

Remi approached Amara specifically. Lusk prepared to fight back, but the hyena ruler began to talk to the wounded female. "_You_, I know, are your captain's favorite of all females. It would produce a fair price to take you from him as punishment. However, both you and I know that there are only two uses for a female… and based upon what I've heard, you fail at the greater one."

The hyenas once again erupted into cackles. "Yeah!" Another one of them proclaimed. "When the great Jackal Squad goes extinct, it's gonna be all your fault!"

Amara forced herself upwards, shaking as her pain kept her down. "Now just where've you been hearing this lie?! In a bar where everyone's drunk stupid? The Captain wields his own desires, nothing more."

The leader seemed to snicker. "If I took you, even for the use I'd know you'd fulfill, we'd both find out the truth soon enough. Wouldn't we, your majesty? All it takes is once..."

Amara cringed both in pain and disgust. "I'd rather the rumors be true than bring a child before you. Save two of the potential three from misery."

"You see, you are in _my_ territory now and have fallen to me and my gang here. You don't really get a say… maybe it'll give that heterochromia-d mutt a good knocking. Teach him that sentiment doesn't keep tales alive 'round these parts, only heirs do. Maybe then he won't leave his legacy in the paws of a solitary female… although I can see his reasons. You're quite fine." The leader gripped Amara's face with his paw, holding her up while he looked her over, nodding. "Seize her, boys."

"Amara!" Lusk tried desperately to leap between her and the hyenas, but Remi shoved him down. Two other hyenas prevented him from getting back up while Remi took what he desired.

The hyena gang took Amara for themselves without problem. Multiple others held the female in place, forcing her to submit, while their leader crudely snarked once more. "You may be useless for creating pups, but you'll be priceless for morale. The boys will just _love_ having you for their own…. And of course, I will too."

Amara snarled, her snarls turning to whimpers as the crowd of males tightened their grips on her. Lusk would have to quickly develop an effective plan to get her back.

Lusk suddenly felt a chilling feeling come over him. A feeling that he had rarely felt in all his years. Lusk struggles to break free of the brutes who held him to his knees, forcing him to watch his daughter being taken away from him once again. Through all the pain, Lusk saw his daughter; tears were falling from her eyes. Then, in a cry of agony, Lusk snapped.

"RRRAAAGGGHH!" Lusk screamed, breaking away from the brutes. Lusk started to beat the living hell out of the hyenas who were closest to him. Every punch he threw at the enemy was full of rage and bitterness.

Remi analyzed his situation and thought not that he was in serious trouble. All he did was snicker to himself.

"Heh heh, look at that." Remi whispered into Amara's ear. "Someone is trying to fight for you. How nice…" He gripped Amara by the face tighter. "But he stands no chance against my gang." He said sinisterly. "Seize the bastard!" He ordered.

On command, more Hyenas appeared out of nowhere. Of course, Lusk wasn't phased by the sudden appearance of more enemies. Almost on instinct, he whipped out his .345 revolver from his holster, and started to fire at the incoming enemies. One by one, Hyenas were getting shot and brutally attacked by Lusk. When Amara's captors joined the fight, Lusk wasted no time in mercilessly killing them. One Hyena, who was the first one to get his hands on Amara, and his brains blown out at point blank range by Lusk.

Amara could do nothing but just watch her father go on what could only be a killing spree. She knew that he was fighting back for her, but she saw something different in her father's eyes. A dark red tint clouded his eyes, and even Amara noticed a black aura radiating from Lusk as well.

"No no, please, don't kill-" The grunts was cut off; his neck being snapped by Lusk. Finally, all of the Hyenas were either killed, or fled from battle. Now it was just between Lusk and Remi, the leader of the Hyena Gang.

"Wow I'm impressed, old man." Remi calmly said, slowly clapping. "You really showed those useless goons how to fight, now didn't you?"

Lusk started down Remi, the rage clearly showing. The jackal growled fiercely, preparing to take another life.

"Nah ah, forgetting something?" Remi then gestured to Amara, who was still being held onto in his grasp. "Make one move and the girl gets it."

Lusk still growled, even revealing the sharp and deadly canines. He gripped onto his sidearm, getting ready to fire, but he then heard a voice.

"Dad…" Amara called out to him.

Slowly, the dark red hue in Lusk's eyes disappeared, returning to a normal amber color. He looked at his daughter once again, but he didn't feel the rage that had clouded his mind. Instead of feeling furious at the sight of her, he felt… calmed. He had expelled his anger in a violent blast and now that he had no more fury harbored inside, his rage eased.

"Listen up you mutt, let go of my daughter. Or else…"

Remi chuckled. "Is that supposed to be a threat or something?"

"I said: let. her. go."

"Oh yeah sure, I'll let her go…" Remi aimed the gun to Amara's head. "But not until I kill her first."

Amara shut her eyes, bracing herself.

_***BANG!***_

A loud gunshot rang throughout the forest, and after a few seconds, the sound settled. Amara opened her eyes, wondering why she wasn't dead. Then she heard a pained groan coming from right next to her. Amara jumped at the sight. It was Remi, lying on the floor in pain; grasping his rapidly bleeding hand. He gaped for a moment before beginning to scream.

"My hand!" Remi cried out. "You shot my hand you crazy jackal!"

Lusk could only smirk and chuckle to himself as he watched the pathetic hyena groan and turn on the forest floor.

"Listen mutt, I warned ya and you didn't listen to me." Lusk remarked. "Maybe next time try not to ever lay a hand on my daughter, you hear?"

Remi growled at the old man's words. "Screw you!" Very sluggishly, Remi used his left hand in an attempt to pull out another pistol.

_***BANG!***_

Another gunshot rang out, and another pistol came dropping to the floor. Remi, once again, had his hand shot by Lusk. Only this time, both of his hands were blown to pieces.

"A-ah- y-you crazy…" Remi stuttered as he helplessly stared at his destroyed hands.

Lusk approached Remi and put a gun to his head, and then spoke very calmly to him.

"Listen carefully, pal. You and your little gang of misfits are no match for me, my daughter, or even our entire jackal clan. So I suggest, you get your butt out of here and _never _show your face around here ever again… UNDERSTAND?!"

"Y-yeah…. I hear ya…."

Lusk rolled his eyes. "Get outta here before I'm forced to put a bullet in your head. Go on, get!"

Remi ran away as fast as he could from Lusk, hoping he would never see him for the rest of his days. At long last, the gang battle was over, and Lusk holstered his weapon and sighed in relief.

"Phew, thank Chaos I'll never see those hyenas again." Lusk chuckled. He turned to his daughter and saw that she was still tied to a couple of ropes Remi bound her in. "Whoops, almost forgot to free ya." With ease, Lusk untied his daughter.

"Did those damn hyenas hurt you badly? Did they try to touch you in an inappropriate-"

"Dad!" Amara shouted. "I'm fine, really."

"You sure? Cause' I swear if they did-"

"I think they've learned their lesson, Dad. Besides, you shot the leader's hands off." Amara remarked.

"Yeah that is true… ah come here you." And Lusk embraced Amara in a cozy hug. It caught Amara by surprise, but she warmed up to the feeling.

On the inside, Amara felt all warm and fuzzy. She hadn't felt like this in years. (Except when she was close to Infinite at certain times.) After a brief moment, the two released each other and looked into one another's eyes.

"You doing alright, Amara?" Lusk asked with concern.

"Y-yeah I'm fine." Amara replied, folding her ears back. "Thanks for.. saving me of course. I- I should've done better in that situation, but I…"

Amara started to tear up. Worst part, in front of her own father. She never cried around anyone but Infinite, but this was the first time she ever got this emotional over something not completely tragic.

"Whoa whoa whoa- hey listen. You were nearly defenseless and badly injured. Those creeps thought they had ya but your good ol' dad stopped em'! Haha!" Lusk said with cockiness.

Amara laughed at her father's words. For an old man, he sure knew how to lighten up the mood.

"But really Dad… thank you." Amara spoke, once again hugging him.

"Anytime sweetie, your dad is always here to protect you. Now, let's get back to the Jackal Squad, shall we?"


	8. Beginning of Eternity (For Amara Bonus)

**Author's Note: Here's a little bonus story from the For Amara section of this saga which highlights Amara's arrival in Heaven but the hidden price she paid. I've been toying with it for a while but was not 100% sure how to depict it. However I still wanted to write it really for the purpose of having a perspective other than Infinite's. Also since it was a really sudden decision to write this, it's also an apology for not writing/finishing anything else.**

* * *

The last thing I remembered of the world was that black beast with the stripe down his quills. That, and the pain. I could hardly breathe, I could feel myself shutting down forever as I collapsed to my knees, vainly clutching the gaping hole in my chest, the one that I knew had finally sealed my Bloodpooliean fate. It just wasn't the fate I spent my young life expecting.

As I felt the blood reach my paws through my gloves, I thought of him. I thought of his sweet eyes and his rough but caring voice... he'd no doubt blame himself for my fate. He was the one who chose to come here... but it's not all his fault, I don't hold a single gripe towards the one who should've become my husband, for as curiosity dealt a feline's final blow, vanity has killed this jackal.

I looked up to the one who had struck me down, looking as fiercely into his eyes as I physically could and I gave him my warning. "You are a _destroyer_. You are a _killer_. You are a _**coward**_. The spilling of my blood and the taking of my life will destroy this planet and millions on it... Shadow." With this villain to my kind's entire history reprimanded, I turned to the sky as if the wind would deliver my final breath to my beloved. "Infy... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

I finally allowed myself to collapse, and even though I was unwilling to let go of my life, it was snatched from me in that instant, and absolutely everything ended.

_**Amara Primrose...**_I heard a powerful voice ring. _**Open your eyes child...**_

I finally opened them, afraid of what I might see in front of me, but was met with a gleaming landscape that words would only cheapen, one that I could only describe as having streets of gold. _What... Is this... Heaven?_

I couldn't focus, even if a voice had spoken to me, I couldn't process anything... but if this was Heaven...

_Genesis... my baby... where is she?!_

"He-hey! Voice?"

_**You want to know where the daughter you never met is, correct?**_

Uhhh, am I talking to a mind reader?!

_**I see your distress, child...**_

As if I was being granted a sign, a beam of light seemed to direct me, but as I reached the end, I was blasted back by some divine barrier. "What...?"

_**This may be difficult for you to understand... but you cannot enter here.**_

"But! My baby's in here!" I cried out, hoping that the voice just didn't know, forgetting that the voice already knew that.

_**I know, I placed your sweet daughter here... but you must understand. As a canine, as my prodigal creation's companion among other things, you are automatically granted eternity here, but that does not keep you from the punishment of your own sin.**_

Suddenly, a shock of cold pulsed through me, and I felt despair. "What does this mean? There is supposed to be no pain in Heaven..."

_**Take a look at yourself as well as your life from back when you had it, you are here because of the gift of your species, nothing more I am pained to say.**_

"...So... I'm never going to meet my baby?"

_**Never is quite a long time.**_

I felt a sting in both my eyes and chest. "I'm a bad dog... just say it... I deserve it..."

As I looked upon the hidden barrier keeping me from my daughter, I saw my luminescence fade, no wings appearing on my back and my eyes fading to nothing but a glowing gold.

_**There is goodness in you... but you ultimately chose your path.**_

My ears drooped and I settled on four paws, head hung. I dried my eyes, noticing myself becoming more primal by the second.

As I walked away, I couldn't help but revisit every single moment of my life, every second now visible to me. How could you be good in Bloodpool? I don't know why I was so cold, maybe it was just a part of the package. Barred from certain areas, no ability to be warm, my appearance even changed.

I sighed. I wondered how the boys were. They had all passed before me, where were they? What were they doing? Would they even bother with me now that life was done and everyone was equal and free?

As I curled up on the side of a golden street, I felt a twang of gratefulness that I'm a dog... not every Bloodpooliean will get this grace... but still, an eternity without Genesis, possibly without the boys and, for a long time, without Infinite...

Could my Heaven really be so empty?


End file.
